The present invention regards a rake trolley with adjustable working widths suitable for three-point hitch finger wheel rakes characterized by the fact that the trolley is suitable for the majority of hay rakes having a standard international three-point hitch. Two hay rakes can be assembled onto this trolley without further modifications, devices or adapting clamps.
Furthermore, the structure in a working phase can be regulated to different widths without having to modify the optimal angle of inclination of the two rakes, allowing the rake wheels to always have a gentle contact with the forage to be harvested. This aspect of the invention drastically reduces the loss of leaves and thus improves remarkably the nutritive value of the forage. The trolley includes two movable heads (right hand and left hand) that slide on the main frame towards the inside and outside, which allow an operator to modify the working width of the machine, modifying at the same time, in equal measurement, the formation of the back row without modifying the inclination of the two hay rakes.
The two movable heads, able to support hay rakes with a standard international three-point hitch, are actioned by two hydraulic cylinders that allow the rotation on a pivot of the two hay rakes from a working position (lowered) to a transport position (lifted) thus avoiding waste of time on the operator's behalf who does not have to intervene manually, as happens in other known implements, to modify the positions of the two hay rakes.
The cylinders that rotate the two movable heads can be used in four different ways 1) Single hydropneumatic effect with single action as per FIG. 1; 2) Single hydropneumatic effect with double action as per FIG. 2; 3) Double effect single action as per FIG. 3; 4) Double effect double action as per FIG. 4.
This feature allows the maximum flexibility in the use of the two hay rakes which can be adapted onto all types of tractors, from simple, older tractors with only one hydraulic connector (FIG. 1) or on the more modern tractors with four hydraulic connectors (FIG. 4).
The rake trolley has been designed so as to make it easy to disassemble and to reduce to a minimum its space volume, a very important factor in the cost of transport and in particular for the shipping of containers.
At the present state of technology, fixed rakes exist (assembled on structures and carried on three-point hitch on the tractor or on trolleys always attached to the tractor) and other variable parallelogram structures (assembled on wheels) keeping the carrying structure parallel to the ground.
The present invention overcomes the structural complexity of the existing implements with a structure that is simply to carry out and is also of a simple composition.
The rake trolley (which carries from 2 to 6 wheel rakes on each side) has a central drawbar, two rake head supports, one on each side, which are each actioned by an oleodynamic (hydraulic) cylinder on which one places the finger wheel hay rakes.
The rake head supports are orientable in the space there is (registered by hand) and directly actioned with the oleodynamic cylinders with the aid of the tractor.
In a working position, the rake wheels take up a large amount of space on the right hand and left hand side, which can be registered with its proper rods and mechanical clamps, while in a transport position, the geometrical configuration varies from the working position to an oblique lifted position reducing the side space.
One of the main aspects of the present invention is its ability to vary the width of the carriage and consequently the movable heads which support the hay rakes. This allows for one to adapt the height on the basis of the width of the windrow (whose width has been determined by the mower) improving its performance.
As an option to the invention, one can add to the drawbar, an arm carrying rake wheel that works in the middle of the two side rakes. This is to improve the result of work of the machine in particular for the central part which is not taken care of with the side rakes.
The present invention further contemplates a rake component system for assembling either a three-point hitch crop rake or a pull-type crop rake. The crop rake component system includes a tool bar; a three-point hitch assembly and a pull-type hitch assembly, both of which are mountable to the tool bar; a pair of rake assemblies mountable to the tool bar; and a lifting and lowering assembly mountable to the tool bar and to the rake assemblies. The rake assemblies are mounted to the tool bar and the lifting and lowering assembly is mounted to the tool bar and to the rake assemblies for providing movement of the rake assemblies between a lowered working position and a raised transport position. Either the three-point hitch assembly or the pull-type hitch assembly is mounted to the tool bar between the rake assemblies, for connecting the tool bar with the rake assemblies mounted thereto to a tractor.
The three-point hitch assembly includes a pair of side bracket assemblies mountable to the tool bar by means of a pair of spaced plates, and a central bracket assembly. The central bracket assembly also includes a pair of spaced plates for use in mounting the central bracket assembly to the tool bar. The central bracket assembly further includes an upstanding member extending upwardly from one of the plates, with an upper three-point hitch bracket connected to the upper end of the upstanding member.
The pull-type hitch assembly includes a pair of wheel assemblies mountable to the tool bar, and a draw bar assembly mountable to the tool bar between the wheel assemblies. A pair of plates are placed against opposite side surfaces of the tool bar for mounting the wheel assemblies thereto, and are movable along the length of the tool bar for varying the spacing between the wheel assemblies. The draw bar assembly includes a draw bar mounted to a first plate member. The first plate member is placed against a side surface of the tool bar, and a second plate member is placed against an opposite side surface of the tool bar. The first and second plate members are secured together with the tool bar therebetween for mounting the draw bar assembly to the tool bar.
The lifting and lowering assembly mountable to the tool bar consists of an extendible and retractable cylinder assembly mountable to the tool bar, and a linkage connectable between the cylinder assembly and the rake assemblies. The three-point hitch assembly and the pull-type hitch assembly each include an upstanding vertical tube member, and the extendible and retractable cylinder assembly is mountable to the vertical tube member. One of the plates of the three-point hitch assembly and the pull-type hitch assembly includes a cheek plate, and the linkage of the lifting and lowering assembly is connectable to the cheek plate and also the extendible and retractable cylinder assembly.
In addition, the lifting and lowering assembly as summarized above can be mounted in a retrofit manner to an existing rake in which the rake assemblies are manually movable between their raised and lowered positions.
Various other features, objects and advantages of the invention will be made apparent from the following description taken together with the drawings.